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Turkey’s Release of 45,000 Prisoners Won’t Include Political Prisoners

HeadlineApr 15, 2020

Turkey’s Parliament voted Tuesday to temporarily free 45,000 prisoners — about a third of its prison population — to limit the spread of COVID-19. The prisoner release will exclude critics of authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who’ve been convicted of terrorism charges. In a statement, Amnesty international called for the release of all political prisoners, adding, “Those convicted in unfair trials under Turkey’s overly broad anti-terrorism laws are also now condemned to face the prospect of infection from this deadly disease.”

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